So I’ve been telling anyone I can that Rocket Raccoon is going to be a big hit. The star of the summer. In comics and film (and most of all in toys). You won’t be able to move without bumping into Rocket Raccoon soon.

And in comic stores, that might be quite literally. I understand that orders for Rocket Raccoon #1, the new comic from Mister Skottie Young that received such a strong showing for Free Comic Book Day, is close to topping 300,000 pre-orders from Marvel Comics.

And that’s without any kind of major retailer incentive scheme that other launches received and with a handful of covers rather than the many many that others have been able to use to goose their numbers. This is a genuine hit out of the ballpark for Marvel.

(UPDATE: It has been pointed out to me, rightly, that three of the five covers are linked – only orderable if the retailer orders 125% of Guardians Of The Galaxy #12. Which is a tiered incentive but not a large one.)

The Final Order Cut-Off date is in five days. Something tells me this might just push sales over the top.

Framed for a crime he didn’t commit, Rocket and his pal Groot’s high-flying life of adventure and heroism may be a thing of the past as he’ll soon find himself on the run and on the wrong side of the law. And the authorities aren’t the only one’s hot on his TAIL! (Too easy). An intergalactic boxing match, fierce alien creatures, and a deadly militia of Rocket’s ex-girlfriends known only as the Exterminators – and that’s just the FIRST ISSUE!

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